More than 60,000 people died across Europe during the record-breaking heatwave of summer 2024, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine. Researchers at Spain’s ISGlobal institute analyzed mortality data from 32 countries, covering 539 million people.
The study warns that Europe, warming twice as fast as the global average, is especially vulnerable to deadly heatwaves. It estimates that 62,775 deaths were linked to last summer’s extreme heat, bringing the total toll from the past three summers to over 181,000.
